ASEAN Regionalism in the 21st Century: A Review of the Community-Building Process (2003-2015)

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the main motivations that led the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to adopt a community-building goal in the political-security and economic fields, the content of the community goal, and the general situation in practice. The dynamics that led ASEAN to adopt the community goal were the fact that ASEAN remained weak in the face of regional problems in the 1990s and the will of the member states for a more comprehensive ASEAN cooperation. With the goals of the political-security and economic community, ASEAN aimed to ensure regional security, combat non-traditional security threats, eliminate the gap in economic development between member countries, and achieve economic liberalization. With the goal of community, ASEAN demonstrated a strong will to develop a common stance against regional problems and diversify cooperation areas. In practice, however, in the political-security field, ASEAN remained ineffective in the South China Sea and Preah Vihear disputes and failed to tackle non-traditional security threats comprehensively. On the other hand, in terms of economy, ASEAN achieved positive economic growth, decreased tariffs, and reduced the economic development gap between ASEAN-6 and Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar (VLCM). From this point of view, although there were problems in both areas of cooperation, this study concludes that in the community-building process, the economic field in the ASEAN regionalism was relatively more successful than in the political area.

Keywords

• ASEAN
• ASEAN political-security community
• ASEAN economic community
• ASEAN member states
• ASEAN-6 and VLCM

21. Yüzyılda ASEAN Bölgeselleşmesi: Topluluk İnşa Sürecinin Bir İncelemesi (2003-2015)

Abstract

Bu çalışmanın amacı, Güneydoğu Asya Uluslar Birliği’nin (ASEAN) siyasi-güvenlik ve ekonomi alanlarında topluluk oluşturma hedefi benimsemesine yol açan temel motivasyonları, topluluk hedefinin içeriğini ve pratikteki genel durumu analiz etmektir. ASEAN’ın topluluk hedefini benimsemesine neden olan dinamikler, 1990’larda ASEAN’ın bölgesel sorunlar karşısında zayıf kalması ve üye devletlerin ASEAN iş birliğinin daha kapsamlı olması yönündeki iradeleri olmuştur. Politik-güvenlik ve ekonomik topluluk hedefleriyle ASEAN; bölgesel güvenliğin sağlanmasını, geleneksel olmayan güvenlik tehditleriyle mücadeleyi, üye ülkeler arasındaki ekonomik gelişmişlik açığının giderilmesini ve ekonomik liberalleşmenin sağlanmasını hedeflemiştir. Topluluk hedefiyle ASEAN, bölgesel sorunlar karşısında ortak bir duruş geliştirme ve iş birliği alanlarını çeşitlendirme konusunda önemli bir irade ortaya koymuştur. Ancak uygulamada, siyasi-güvenlik alanında ASEAN, Güney Çin Denizi ve Preah Vihear şeklindeki anlaşmazlıklarda etkisiz kalmış ve geleneksel olmayan güvenlik tehditleriyle mücadelede kapsamlı bir ilerleme sağlayamamıştır. Diğer yandan ekonomi başlığında ASEAN; ekonomik büyüme, tarifelerin düşürülmesi ve ASEAN-6 ile Vietnam, Laos, Kamboçya ve Myanmar (VLKM) arasındaki ekonomik gelişmişlik farkının azalması konusunda olumlu çıktılar elde etmiştir. Bu noktadan hareketle çalışma, her iki iş birliği alanında da sorunlar olmakla birlikte, topluluk inşa sürecinde, ASEAN bölgeselleşmesinde ekonomik iş birliğinin siyasi alana kıyasla görece daha başarılı hâle geldiği sonucuna ulaşmıştır.

Keywords

• ASEAN
• ASEAN politik-güvenlik topluluğu
• ASEAN ekonomik topluluğu
• ASEAN üye devletleri
• ASEAN-6 ve VLKM

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